Not long ago I went to a networking event for writers where one of my younger colleagues asked me about my brand. My brand? I hadn’t really thought of myself as needing a label, and from the sound of it, I am very much mistaken. The savvy wordsmith handed me three distinct business cards—each reflecting a certain niche. And I could see the logic of her sell. In these tough times, image management may be a key to success for writers.

Writers aren’t the only creatures that can benefit from better branding. A new name may be key to saving endangered African wild dogs. According to Nicholas D. Kristof’s column in today’s New York Times, a conservationist in Zimbabwe is rebranding the misunderstood and unloved predators as “painted dogs.”[4] The new name is just exotic and poetic enough it could improve the dogs’ conservation odds. With only a few thousand left in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa, let’s hope it works.

Oh, and before you go imagining your Catahoula Leopard Dog[5] is related. Kristof explains that while dogs split from wolves in the last 30,000 years. Wild dogs shared a common ancestor with wolves about six million years ago.